I
A white door, made of alabaster or perhaps marble, towered before them. It's shape was reminiscent of a bird, a falcon maybe, about to take flight.
"Weird," Phineas said as he quickly glanced around, noting that trees, taller than average, seemed to envelope them on all sides, "I could have sworn someone was calling me. You heard something too, right Ferb?
Ferb nodded. He had heard someone calling him.
Buford snorted, "You two have lost your minds. Going into woods, hearing your names, it's like you've never seen a single horror movie."
Baljeet glanced around quickly, not liking the fact that he couldn't see anything but trees, "But you said you heard something too."
Katie shuffled her feet. She really wasn't too keen on playing a horror movie trope so early in the summer. They were going to be seniors next year, and she had a lot of expectations. Most of them required being alive.
Adyson chuckled, "Please. This has nothing to do with horror movies."
Buford's tone became defensive, "Oh, yeah? What you makes so sure?"
"Obviously," Adyson waved her arms in order to emphasize her point, "No one has had the bright to split up and look for clues. Without anyone splitting up, no one gets frisky. No one gets frisky, no one dies. Simple as that."
Isabella coughed, "Yes, well. Horror cliches-"
"They're not cliches." Adyson interrupted.
"Them aside," Isabella continued, "We should open the door."
"Why?" Gretchen asked, "Don't tell me you heard something too."
"Phineas, would you do the honors and open the door?" Isabella asked, ignoring the bespectacled girl.
Phineas nodded. He placed his hand on the vertical door handle and pulled. Phineas felt a cold drop of water on his hand, when curtains of water started falling all around the group, blocking their view of the door their view of the surrounding dark forest.
"She said open the door, not bust open the water main!" Adyson shouted, trying her best to avoid getting soaked.
The sound of stones grinding and groaning filled the space around the group, shutting down any conversation. Finally, the water stopped and the door stood open, revealing a spiral case consisting of wide, stone stairs wrapped around a pillar that seemed to stretch to the sky.
Almost as if pulled by a magnet, the group climbed the spiral staircase with more than enough space in between them.. Higher and higher they went, yet no one was tired. No one felt any fatigue. Even after climbing what seemed to be hundreds of stairs, everyone was still fresh and energetic.
"The angle of this staircase is impossible," Gretchen leaned over the stairs, for they lacked any sort of railing, and stared into the bottom. She couldn't see the ground any more. The trees had disappeared, only to be replaced by a blue sky.
"What do you mean?" Isabella asked, stopping from the upward trek.
"Exactly what I said," Gretchen pulled back from the edge of the stairs and continued walking, "There is nothing supporting the pillar or the staircase. The combined weight of the stairs and the pillar should have made this whole structure collapse."
"Phineas and Ferb make the impossible happen on a daily basis." Isabella followed the bespectacled girl.
"Hurm. Perhaps. I doubt they built this, though."
"Guys? Guys! You have to come look at this!" Adyson's frantic shouts came from the third revolution above the rest of the group. Quickly picking up their pace, the group jogged up, finally reaching the end of the stairs.
It was another door. This one black as possible. It seemed to be well taken care of, it was polished to the point where it shined. This door, however lacked a door handle. In its stead, words were carved into the stone.
Ferb moved forward to read the inscription.
Phineas moved with his brother, to actually read the inscription out loud, "The bird fights its way out of the egg. 'The egg is the world. Who would be born first must destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is'...It just trails off. The inscription isn't finished."
"Huh. Talk about easy," Adyson smirked.
"Easy?" Questioned Isabella.
"Adyson's right." Buford said.
The group glanced between the two teens.
"Oh, what? I finished the summer reading early." Adyson defended.
"It's, like, the fourth day of summer vacation," Katie squeaked.
"I read it for winter break. It was an enjoyable read." Buford said.
"Well, since you two seem to know the answer so readily, why don't you tell us?" Gretchen asked, with more than a hint of annoyance.
"Abraxas." Buford and Adyson answered simply.
The door, massive and old, groaned opened, revealing a large circular platform with a four foot high wall surrounding it. Stepping out onto the platform, the group gazed around. That was it, nothing else. There was nothing else.
Adyson quickly glance up, "A plus. No floating upside down castles."
"And why is that a plus?" A voice that seemed to encompass every space, asked. Smoke swirled in the middle of the platform, tighter and tighter, until it form the shape of a man wearing a helmet that resembled the head of a falcon.
"How did you do that?" Phineas asked, his voice filled with wonder at the effect.
"Who are you?" Isabella asked, fear tightly wound in her voice. She was trying very hard to put up a brave front, which was a shame, because she failed at it.
"Answer me, Sweetwater. There is no upside down castle. Why is that good?" The smoke man asked again.
Adyson closed her eyes and thought, "An upside down castle is...no, wait. A castle represents power, royalty, and a promise of eternity. That it would always stand. Then an upside down castle would be the inverse of that. Weakness, the common people, and the promise of doom. Right?" Adyson opened one eye and glanced at the smoke man.
"A somewhat correct answer. One of many. Do you study archetypes and symbols?" The smoke man questioned.
Adyson opened her eyes, "Depends on the story, really." Adyson answered.
The smoke man nodded, "You have, all of you, answered a call. You arrived to this arena. This is one of many of my arenas. I am Abraxas. I called you."
"So the answer to your riddle is your name?" Baljeet asked, "That is a bit self-centered."
Before he could blink, Abraxas appeared in front of him, "Why did you answer the call, Tjinder?"
"How do you know my name?" Baljeet asked in a higher pitched voice than usual.
Abraxas drifted along back to his spot in the center of the arena, "It's how you identify yourself. It's my duty to know how the Duelists and their Support identify themselves."
"Duelists? You expect us to duel?" Buford asked, "Like in those old western movies? High noon and all that?"
Abraxas shook his head, "Only partially right. You will be dueling with swords-"
"Right, that's where we must decline," Ferb spoke up, "I'm not risking my brother and friends on some gladiator games." Ferb turned and started to walk away from the arena. The rest of the group glanced between Abraxas and Ferb. Ferb made a good point, the sword duels sounded dangerous. If not for any other reason than the fact they used swords.
But something compelled them to stay.
The black stone door slammed shut, startling the young man and effectively blocking his only way out. Abraxas spoke again, "I implore you stay. This universe, your universe, needs you. All of you."
"What, The universe needs us to swordfight?" Gretchen scoffed. This whole trip had been a waste. She briefly wondered whether or not Adyson had put something in their food. Again.
Ferb walked back to the group with a slow and defensive gait, still wary of the smoke cloaked man.
"Let me explain myself," Abraxas breathed in and the arena seemed to shudder slightly, "There are multiple universes. There is only a finite amount of positive energy. This positive energy allows certain things to happen. It can influence everything from finding a penny to how world leaders behave. More importantly, it keeps negative energy at bay and-what?" Adyson was raising her hand in manner far too spirited trying to grab Abraxas' attention.
"Yes. So, is that good luck, then?" Adyson lowered her hand.
"If it helps you to think it about it that way, yes. It's a collective source of good luck for the whole universe. A higher concentration of 'good luck' as you call it, means there is a lower concentration of catastrophes. For example, the black plague of this universe lasted for only a year. In another universe it's still going on. These duels are held every so often in an attempt to better distribute this source." Abraxas raised his left arm and the arena was plunged into darkness. The group of teenagers made varied their responses from a scream of surprise to a startled gasp.
Images floated across the arena, highlighted by the dark. they looked like scenes from an old film. There two young men dueled in elaborate uniforms. Across the way a fire burned through an unknown city. Gunshots and wailing mixed with the triumphant cheers of the duelists and the sounds of defeat of their opponents.
The senses of the young group were being attacked. The noise was deafening, but every sound came in clear.
The schnick of blades.
Glass breaking.
A mother's cry of lament. (How did they know it was a mother?)
"-Harken unto thy master and reveal to us-"
"-The power to revolutionize the world!-"
"-It's cyclical-"
"-A revolution?-"
"-Obey me, subjects! Obey me, world-"
"-Domination, is it?-"
"-You're still their hero-"
"-You are the dead-"
And then the words stopped. Phineas wasn't sure when, but he had fallen to his knees, his hands covered his ears.
Newsclips started playing. The ones from fifty years ago. The group stared at the solitary clip, a compilation of an event. It was tragic, it was horrific, and it had been engraved into the minds of every citizen of Danville.
The light returned to the arena. Sobered by what they had just seen, the teenagers didn't move. An observer would say they didn't even breathe.
Abraxas's low grumble cut apart the silence, "That tragedy happened because one of the duelist lost the penultimate duel. It was only placated by the champion of the final duel. Someone from your universe. "
"What happened to the loser?" Buford asked. He was trying to control the nausea that the images had caused.
Abraxas sighed, "His universe received the backlash. It's still suffering the aftereffects."
"That's horrible," Phineas said, his voice trembling, the tragedy had been great for their town. He did not want to think about how the other universe was suffering, "Why don't you let us try and figure out a way to spread all that good luck? It's not fair that everyone else has to suffer."
Abraxas chuckled, his tone weary, "A noble gesture. You wouldn't be the first one to try such a thing. However, your first duels will begin momentarily. I must assign the roles and uniforms."
Amidst shouts of protest at being thrust into their first duel so suddenly, a wall of smoke enveloped the group before quickly pulling back from them, revealing that their normal summer attire had been changed.
Phineas, Buford, Isabella and Adyson had been given older military style jackets with matching pants while Ferb, Baljeet, Gretchen and Katie had been dressed in cloaks that reached their ankles and an undershirt.
"Where the hell are my clothes?" Adyson kept pulling at her uniform trying to find her previous clothes.
"These are your uniforms," Abraxas said, "In time, you should be able to summon them yourselves. When I call your name, please come forward. Phineas and Ferb."
The brothers walked forward to the center of the arena, Ferb was still apprehensive, Phineas was pensive, trying to process the information that had been given to him.
Abraxas studied Phineas' uniform. A stiff white jacket with orange shoulder protectors, cord, and buttons. The pants were white with an orange stripe running down the outside.
Epaulettes for the shoulder protectors and aiguillette for the the pointed cord, if Ferb remembered correctly. He looked down at his own grey and light blue bordered cloak and shirt, and he couldn't help but be thankful that he got such a simple design.
Abraxas mused, "Interesting. you are the Duelist. And your brother is the Magi ," Abraxas held out his smoke covered hand and a sabre with a plain sheath appeared. He handed the sheathed sword to Phineas, "Until you can summon either your own sword or your brother's, you shall use this one. Phineas, you have to protect your brother. He is your support."
Phineas nodded. He didn't need some extra dimensional being telling him that his brother was important.
Abraxas gave his attention to Ferb, "As his Magi, it's your job to make sure he is safe," Abraxas waved his left arm and a small platform was raised near the black stone door, "That is your position. Buford and Baljeet."
With that the brothers walked towards the platform, Ferb visibly tensed.
"Is something wrong, Ferb?" Phineas asked. His hand twitched, he wanted to do something. He just wasn't sure what.
Ferb sighed, "I would have preferred to be the Duelist. I don't want you getting hurt."
Phineas' hand calmed down, "Oh, don't worry about that. I don't think these duels are too dangerous."
Abraxas boomed from the center of the arena, "Correct. Death is impossible in the arena," He studied the two boys, Buford was wearing the same style jacket as Phineas, with brown as its main color, and grey for the buttons, aiguillettes, and epaulettes. The pants were brown and striped with grey. Baljeet wore a dark orange cloak bordered with a light green and a light green undershirt.
With a voice tinged with joy, Abraxas said, "For Friendship, undemanded," He waved his hand and a platform was raised. In that same motion he gave Buford another sabre, one exactly like Phineas' and said, "Until you can summon one sword or the other, this one will do. Buford, you are to make sure Baljeet can work undisturbed," Buford's face scrunched up in confusion while Abraxas continued, "Baljeet, make sure your work benefits Buford. Isabella and Gretchen." With that, both boys took their position at Baljeet's platform with Baljeet trying to climb on top of the platform and failing.
The smoke man once again studied the pair in front of him. Isabella was the Duelist, with her predominantly purple jacket and pants. Her dressings were a very light shade of pink. Gretchen was marked as the support with her grey and deep green cloak and green undershirt. Abraxas spoke, not without a hint of amusement, "For the Chains of Command, unquestioned." He handed Isabella her standard sabre and said, "I expect you'll reach the sky. Gretchen, I expect you'll make that possible." He pointed to Gretchen's platform in between Ferb's and Baljeet's.
Both girls walked toward the platform. Gretchen scoffed, "The Chains of Command, eh?"
Isabella quickly glanced at the bespectacled girl, "We're friends. He probably just said it so he wouldn't be repetitive."
All she got in return was a slight hum.
"Adyson and Katie."
Quickly scurrying to the center, Adyson and Katie stood before Abraxas. He studied them and was disappointed. Adyson's Duelist uniform was all black while Katie's cloak was all white. With an air of disappointment, he asked, "And what are you two?"
Katie quickly looked away and stammered, "We're, I mean we're-'
"We're friends. Buddies and all that." Adyson declared in a boisterous voice.
Katie nodded demurely.
Abraxas nodded and handed Adyson her the standard sabre, "For Friendship, perhaps. It would be best if you defined yourself as quickly as possible." He pointed towards the fourth and final platform. Facing the Duelists and the Magi, Abraxas asked, "Are there any questions?"
Gretchen raised her hand asked, "What do the Magi do?"
Abraxas answered quickly, "You are to do your best to change the tide in favor of your duelist."
Isabella asked, "You realize none of us know how to fight?" She toyed with the sword, it was heavy, it was sharp. It felt weird.
Abraxas' smoke settled down a bit, "I would have preferred it if you had some training. But the first Duel is in a moment. You have no time to train."
Baljeet asked, "How do we help the Duelists, exactly?"
Abraxas shook his head, "You have to figure that out by yourself. As long as you don't leave your platform, you have unlimited power."
Ferb felt slightly stressed. He couldn't leave the platform. He couldn't physically help his brother. Sensing Ferb's stress, Phineas looked up at the platformed boy and said, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. We'll talk to the first Duelist and work something out."
A slight buzzing filled the air. It grew higher pitched and more frantic. Abraxas' smoke rippled and expanded. As the buzzing reached its peak, a wall of smoke split the circular arena in half, blocking the group from seeing the other side.
As the smoke settled, a group of eight was revealed. They had four people as Magis, their faces covered by the hoods of their grey cloaks. Below the platform stood four grey Duelists with swords in their hands.
A tanned boy with black hair stepped into the center and introduced himself, "I am Ferdinand. My cadre has chosen my as today's duelist." He held the sword in a horizontal position, ready to face his opponent.
Phineas walked into the center, his own sabre held casually and said, "Hi, I'm Phineas. I was wondering, what if instead of fighting, we all worked together? That way we could all-" before he knew what had happened he had hit the floor, a sword point barely touching his throat.
Ferdinand stood above him, a smug smirk on his face, "I have won this duel."
Somewhere far off, the peal of bells sounded. Phineas barely heard the worried shouts of his friends above it. When the bells quieted, Abraxas reappeared.
"The victor of this duel is Ferdinand. Phineas, the energy of your universe has fallen. Everyone is dismissed. Report back here for the next duel when you are called." Everyone present was enveloped in a tornado of smoke.
The group found themselves back outside, near the edge of the woods. The sun had nearly set. Ferb and Isabella were fussing over Phineas, trying to make sure he was alright. In the back of his mind, Ferb desperately hoped that his brother wouldn't be the one to duel next time. Something tells me...I should be working on something else. But! Then I wouldn't have the chance to write sword fights with an emphasis on Jungian, Freudian, and Gnostic imagery. So...there is that. And who doesn't enjoy pretentiousness?